Leaderboard

Seems everyone round here is on their second or third ACG so I thought I'd give Alan a chance to make me the fretless bass to replace the 20th Anniversary SR5 I can't bloody find! We've agreed to a Krell 5 with his ART black Maple Burl front and back, a swamp ash core and a mahogany central block lifted straight from the 20th Anni design. it'a going to have an acrylic infused Lava Bubinga fretboard with a wenge/paduak/maple neck and padauk accents. Alans building to a 17mm spacing rather than his usual 18mm, which I find a bit of a stretch. Coming from 16.5mm on the Warwick Thumb 5 to 17.5mm on my SR5s and Bongo was enough. I'm having twin RFB pups, ceramic in the bridge position and alnico in the neck, but both will be bridge orientated, like the odd Wal 2 series and the older Thumb designs. a 3 position switch for each pup will give great versatility, I'm going with the DFM 4k filter pre-amp. Not brave enough to have an unlined board these days, but that's fine with me. Now I just have to wait a year to see what he comes up with.... Here are the woods we've chosen:

Hey folks! Here is my current (since 2017) board. Planning to make another one (a smaller one from the other pedals in the picture, but maybe keeping the Basswitch IQ DI as a separate stand alone so that I can continue to use it with both the original board as well as with the new one). Still waiting for the 3leaf audio Doom2 pedal to arrive. I am also thinking of re-making the original one to a smaller one. Let's see how this turns out

Gold by Spandau Ballet has a BPM of 143, so this is the correct answer in terms of finding the 'Gold' standard. https://getsongbpm.com/song/gold/mwMVME

I have never played a BB2000 or BB2000A. They must be terrific as well. If I behave - 🤞 - I'll stick to the 1200s and the 2024 (I'd love a sunburst 2024x instead, but for the looks only). I enjoy trying various basses, and I generally prefer maple boards, but those BBs really are amazing instruments. I've let a white BB2024x with a maple board go to someone else a couple of years ago as I did not have the cash at the moment. It was this one. If it came up again, I'd sell my BB2024 and buy it. It would surely tick all the boxes for me.

And here’s one they made after Epiphone abandoned them.

Everyone of mine

Just throught I'd share some first impressions now I've had a few days to play around. This is one of the second series of Ibanez headless EHB basses, released in 2021 (the first series came out in 2020). I've been playing short scale basses, but since my experience with multi-scale guitars was positive I thought that multi-scale would suit a short scale bass quite well as the main 'problem' with shorter scale lengths can be the lack of tautness in the E-string. My main concerns when ordering were that there were some issues with the first series of EHB (reasonable number of reports of neck cracks, misaligned bridges, poor jack socket), but no-one short of custom ordering did an instrument like this, and nothing like this kind of price. Stuck my pre-order in at Andertons in January with delivery expected in early-mid March. Well, it turned up on the 2nd of March, so top marks there. Slightly disappointed to find that someone (presumably at Andertons) had rifled through the gigbag and opened the accessory bag, presumably to get to the 9V battery, which I found with the wrapper semi-removed plugged into the back of the bass. Guess it was the first one in and someone wanted a play. Doesn't bother me too much as long as they were careful, and as there wasn't a mark on it I guess they were... First, some pictures: Metallic green/blue paint, burl maple fretboard. A nice combo in my eyes Bolt on neck, but upper fret access is very good. The back of the body is bevelled, so the upper half is thinner than the lower The neck profile is incredibly flat and wide in true Ibanez fashion. It's comfortable to play, although the width was a bit of a shock at first Playing Feel The first thing that hits you is that adding a string makes for a very wide looking/feeling neck at the treble end of the fretboard (the nut's only 45mm). It also knocks your calibration out of whack, and I found that I'd be playing the wrong string from time to time. I've played a 7 string guitar so was expecting both of these and it'll come with time. The action is low, aiding playability, and is not buzzy. I'd say the setup is pretty well judged out of the box, but the intonation will need some adjustment. The string tension is lower on the B-string than I'd expected, but not excessively so. The multi-scale will take a little getting used to, but with a neutral (that's basically the 'normal' fret, perpendicular to the string) 7th fret, the pattern makes a lot of ergonomic sense on a bass-length scale. As I move my fretting hand up the neck, my fingers follow the arc/fan of the frets very well. Just need to get the muscle memory re-learnt so that I'm placing my fingers in the optimum place - I was getting a few 'just-past' the target fret moments at first. My main concern was about successfully muting the newly acquired 5th string. I usually right-hand mute strings by hooking my ring and little fingers through/around the strings, whilst anchoring with my thumb. This works nicely on a four string bass as even when playing the G-string, the second playing finger will mute the D-string. What I've found to work really well on this bass is anchoring my thumb on the edge of the neck: When playing the 3rd to 5th strings it's business as usual, but when playing the 1st or 2nd strings, the thumb starts to naturally rotate into position and touch the B string. It's pretty natural and works well. When using a strap, you'll find the rear strap button is rather higher than a 'normal' bass (much like a Strandberg), so you'll find that you'll want to shorten the strap by a good 10cm or so (I couldn't figure why it felt weird at first). Balance is excellent as you'd expect with no head - it just sits where you want it with no pull one way or another. It's also very light (just 3.3kg), not just for a 5 string, or a bass, but it's light even for a guitar. That lack of weight is much appreciated during longer playing sessions. Build Quality The build is generally very nice, the neck in particular being a high point. Fret ends are nicely finished and smooth, the edge of the fretboard is well rounded, making it very comfortable. As is often the case, it's just the upper corners of the nut that could use a bit more time with the sander as the corners are sharp, and without a headstock it's easy to run a little too far and catch on the nut. The hardware feels excellent quality and is easy to adjust (and there are a lot of adjustments available too). The individual bridges are good and straight as you'd expect. Before buying headless I'd heard many complain that the tuners are difficult to adjust with fingers. Not so here - the knobs are a decent size and are very smooth and easy to adjust. A minus point has to be that the manual is a generic Ibanez document that is almost entirely irrelevant in every respect to the EHB. They'd have been better off providing nothing as the only 'normal' thing shared is the truss rod. It's particularly weird that they've not included any specific manuals as they've produced some which are on their website, both for the hardware and the EQ/electronics. As mentioned before the paintwork is generally very good, but the area around the bridge/tuners is not up to a great standard. Only really visible if you're looking for it though Electronics The pickups are a pair of passive Bartolini BH2s, through an Ibanez 9V powered EQ. Again, some documentation in the box would have been nice, but a quick download later and all was revealed. Volume Pickup balance (clockwise for neck, anti-clockwise for bridge. This has a central detent for both pickups on equally) 3 - 7 control the EQ Lower knob is bass EQ, cutting or boosting the bass (this has a central detent for a flat EQ) Upper knob is treble EQ, cutting or boosting the treble (this has a central detent for a flat EQ). It also becomes the passive tone control if the active EQ is switched off Lower knob controls the mid frequency that control 6 affects Upper knob is the mid EQ, cutting or boosting around the frequency selected by control 5 (this has a central detent for a flat EQ) EQ switch. Switched forward this disables the active EQ and control 4 becomes a passive tone knob The controls are nicely weighted and are smooth, although the plastic knobs do feel a touch cheap. Being a beginner to 3-way EQ actually on the bass itself I've not played around too much yet, sticking to passive control. The pickup blend is a nice feature, although I'd have preferred two volume knobs and a switch as it allows for mid-song changes more easily. The jack socket is a captive type preventing accidental disconnects. It's fairly stiff to release, but easy enough to do with one hand I don't feel qualified to comment on the sound, but through my Ashdown ABM III it sounds bloody good, punchy and clear, even driven by my fingers. Output volume is not boosted like an active pickup which means less equipment adjustment if switching basses (it's very similar in output to my Hagstrom Swede). Overall As the owner of a Strandberg Boden (guitar) I do find there's a lot of similarity (even superficially), it really feels that Ibanez are trying to create an instrument that is very reminiscent of the Strandberg, but substantially less expensive. It's a well made, ergonomic instrument that undoubtably has a few niggles/areas for improvement, but the overall impression is of a well designed bass with a good variety of tones for playing most genres of music.

I remember seeing Washburn guitars and basses in the most amazing crackle/lightning finishes on the back of guitar magazines when I was a youngster (late 80's?) I fell in love with them right there and then. I think if I saw one in that finish now I wouldn't be able to resist temptation.

New one on the market: the Retrovibe Telenbacker. The "Hot Yellow" would make a statement, for sure:

All quiet on the Leicestern front...

I’m wondering whether I should take the fingerboard to the pickup or not. If I don’t, I’ll put some matching wood on the neck to hide the laminates. What do you guys think?

Yes, but I've sold both of them.

I’m in green street tomorrow, I’ll have a look for you

Does anyone know if the Tesco's on Green Street is doing a special offer on their own-brand pale ale right now?

Lots of information without any actual important detail when it comes to actual tolerances. For mainstream electrical components the tolerances of the components is ±10%. That's a 20% overall difference between the two extremes, which is a large variation. I would hope that for something that has supposedly as much care taken over them as these pickup the tolerance is much smaller than that. Hopefully under ±1%. My position has never been that wood makes no difference to the sound of a solid electric instrument. It is that: 1. In the overall scheme of things it is one of the less important factors 2. It is not consistent 3. It is not absolutely quantifiable. Given all of those, and the fact that I have yet to see any proper study that absolutely shows that this is not the case, I'll stick with my opinion that the choice of wood on it's own does not matter in construction of a solid electric bass or guitar. Consider each instrument as an individual and sum of it's various parts. Don't try and attribute one particular element to producing the sound, because it is a complex system and you simply can't do that.

Problem is, as I mentioned before, all the Ricks I’ve owned have sounded easily as different as those basses (some far more so) and they were all maple, so that doesn’t really prove much in itself. At the very least you’d need a number of basses made from each wood type to see whether the differences are consistent across the board.

IME the easiest way to get flat-wound strings in the 70s (at least from the mid 70s onwards) was to buy a bass with them already fitted. I seem to recall that my local musical instrument shop had a couple of sets from either Picato or Rotosound lurking at the bottom of the miscellaneous string drawer, and that was it. If you wanted a set that wasn't at least 5 years old you'd have to order them specially.

Take a look on ACG's website, there's a couple of Krells with the ART dyed black maple tops, they are fantastic looking beasts. This is the bass that made me look at the Black Maple top:

After my wife died I sat down with my eldest daughter and played Beatles to show her how the Fab 4 changed everything. I have always thought that Rubber Soul and especially Revolver were more groundbreaking than Sgt Pepper and so chose Tomorrow Never Knows as an example. Her initial thoughts (we were more than a little tipsy by now) were that the Beatles copied the Chemical Brothers but as she started to say it, I saw the realisation on her face. NeedLess to say all my grandkids now love the . As for the lack or Beatles on the radio. It is many of the things noted above, plus what pigeon hole do you put the Beatles in? Pop, Rock, Soul, Rock and Roll, Progressive, Country. There is another question here but ot warrants another thread.

Boom!! And there it is, the 'Alan Partridge Clip'. 😂😂😂

Received pictures from my builder today. Contouring pretty much done. We discussed the route for the controls. After reviewing, I had him lower it at the back slightly,

Impedance looks good I will be able to sleep well tonight!

They're perhaps a bit polite, but Khruangbin have some simple, tasteful basslines with lovely feel - great for a playalong.

I don't think how many notes you can play in a given time is any kind of indication of ability at all. Is a badly timed busy bassist playing a hundred miles an hour all over the fretboard better than one who puts in that perfectly timed single note per bar, whilst locked in with a great drummer to create the heaviest funk groove in town? Sometimes busy is good, sometimes sparse is good. The bassist who knows when to do what will be the most respected. 🙂👍

I've got my own ideas on this but it would be interesting to see other people's opinions on this momentous,foundation subject. That is the minimum finger/plectrum string strikes per minute across all/any notes on the fretboard.

The 1000w version can stay cleaner for much longer though. A lot more versatile. Granted the 500w goes loud anyway. If cost wasn't a factor I wouldn't see any reason to not have the 1000 over the 500. The 1000 covers all the 500 does and more but the 500 doesn't cover what the 1000 can do. Surprised on the 'spongy' descriptions as I describe them as 'quick'. YMMV. There is some truth in the one trick pony comments in these, but it's a damn good trick. One thing to remember , EQ on these...flat setting is bass and treble off (or almost off) mids up full ( so mids is cut only), I think with all EQ at noon and people unaware that this is not the flat settings reinforces the one trick pony thought. The flat setting on these is a wonderful starting point.

Like a Marleaux Diva. I thought about that, but I’d need a stonking piece of ebony to do that! I have the bridge and anchors all figured out. Thinking I’ll stick with original plan and take it to the pickup.

It is interesting to see how some churches reach a "critical mass" of excellence and have a band that keeps on improving, and other churches just have a few musicians and never really develop a music ministry. For me, I like the church because I liked the music - and because I like music I was already playing bass guitar in a band. There are others in the church who likewise had a musical background but were not part of the band - a semi-professional opera singer; worship leading multi-instrumentalists; two competent drummers. My opinion is that, with a pool of talent in the church, it is easier to further refine the musical offering, which in turn attracts other musicians to the congregation. Does that sound feasible, or am I simply wrong!?

Personally, I'm a fan of seeing laminates on the top

Why these extremes..? I certainly do care about what I'm doing, and use as best I can my ears, and other clues, to get me the best result I can get, but the wood essence is, to me, too far from my faculties to be a factor. My drums are maple; do they sound 'maple'..? The tuning I use has far more impact. The different alloys used in cymbals is critical, but cymbals made from the same alloy, from the same maker, made the same day, sound different, so the alloy itself is not the criteria to use for choosing. I use my experience and my ears, and would usually close my eyes when trying out or choosing which cymbal to use. I have several guitars and basses, but I have no idea what essence they've been made from, and it matters not a jot to me. It's the sound I'm making that I'm concerned with, and is, for my usage, entirely unaffected by the wood alone. If your ears are that good, look after them carefully (no loud concerts, be wary of 'phones and the bands you play in...), as one's hearing 'goes' very quickly with advancing years. How do I know this..? Hmm...

No problem, I might eat them on the way back though

that will be fun if he's moved the bridge!

Those 2 extra thin ones?

I cheated, and listened through my (reasonably decent, but hardly studio monitor...) speakers, and not the headphones suggested. I'll admit to being much more 'auditorily challenged' than in past decades, too. To me, the bloke showed some excellent little licks, consistently played, with hardly a jot of difference in tone between 'em. They all sounded equally as good as each other, with nothing remarkedly apparent to differentiate. If it's that much more evident through 'phones, then I'd say that it's so little as to not be worth fussing over in anything more than a solo bass recording, and that, in a band or orchestra situation, there's no discernable difference whatsoever. I'm a drummer, though, so what would I know..?

I prefer the headstock design on the Peerless one.

Yes, but according to the Bank of England's Inflation calculator, that Jazz bass cost the equivalent of £2,319.15 today! P bass a snip at £1,931.57

That's going to be a stunner! I have a couple of ACG 5ers, one with 16.5mm and one with 17mm spacing, they're both excellent. Best 5ers I've ever played in fact Looking forward to watching this develop!

YAFG* *You actual f****** genius 😄

Pino is amazing! I’ve just been reading up on the albums, MK did backing vocals on one of the I, Assassin tracks. This is Numan’s quote about Pino on the album... He was brilliant. I had never heard playing like it...He came up with stunning bass lines, song after song. I leaned on him heavily during the making of the album. I pushed his playing to the forefront of the tracks and, inadvertently, created a new style. It was one of the first times that the fretless bass had been used as the lead melody instrument, allowing the album to be atmospheric, dreamy and funky. I’ll probably get stick but Pino always struck me as a brilliant technical player, but MK is deeply intuitive. I remember reading an interview with him where he said he had no musical theory at all and couldn’t tell you what notes he was playing if a string was “An E or a C”, also that the rest of the band would rehearse a song into existence and then MK would arrive having made up a bass line just based on the title of the song, they’d rewrite entire songs around his lines because they were so good! Anyway, any excuse for Bestial Cluster...

'66